Changbai Mountain Tourism Plan, Jilin Province, PRC
Winner: Sepia Design Consultants
Award: Merit Award for Urban Design

Straddling the border of China and North Korea, the Changbaishan Nature Reserve is one of the world's first transnational UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. Meaning "Perpetually White Mountain," at el +2691 m, Changbai Mountain is the epicentre of the reserve and consists of a dormant volcano containing a 9.82 sq km volcanic crater lake known as "Heavenly Lake" which has the distinction of being the highest lake above sea level in China. Historically renowned for its timber industry, the areas surrounding this protected biosphere are experiencing a major transition from historical timber production to an increasingly dominant tourism industry. This evolution of this area into a major tourism destination has been marked by changes in travel patterns, socio-economic changes for local communities, environmental degradation, and a piecemeal approach to tourism development and infrastructure to cope with the escalating number of annual visitors. Commissioned at the government level, the proposed tourism plan strives to provide a comprehensive blueprint for tourism growth, infrastructure development, and regional planning which is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. Based on market and economic analyses, coordination with UNESCO and provincial and local government departments and results of tourism and community surveys, the tourism plan is to be integrated into local master planning efforts and policy formation. The plan consists of a comprehensive set of analyses and recommendations for urban planning, architectural guidelines, policy framework, implementation and monitoring systems - all based on current market research and sustainable development best practices in use throughout national parks and other protected areas worldwide.

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